Former NASA astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell told a British radio host this week that governments have been covering up contact with aliens for more than six decades. The 77-year-old veteran of the Apollo 14 mission said, “I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we’ve been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real.”

“It’s been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so,” he said, “but slowly it’s leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it.”

Mitchell claimed the infamous 1947 incident in Roswell, N.M., where several people saw an alien spacecraft crash, did in fact happen. The military has said the so-called spacecraft was actually a weather balloon. NASA quickly downplayed Mitchell’s comments. “Dr. Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue,” a statement from the space agency read. “NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe.”

Now In an exclusive interview from February 2011 Edgar Mitchell told “The Unexplained” mankind would have to explore other planets because one day the sun will burn out and our species may need to find a new home. In the show, he also told British host Howard Hughes he believes aliens have been visiting earth for a very long time. Dr Mitchell thinks there are different species some who have our best interests at heart and some who may not. And he believes there are people some in and around the space programme and bound by confidentiality agreements who will one day bring forward more evidence. Dr Mitchell also discussed his ongoing concerns over the “sustainability” of earth’s resources. I remember from the interview with Kerrang radio what Dr Mitchell, 77, said during that radio interview. He stated that sources at the space agency who have had contact with aliens described them as the beings the ‘little people” who look strange to us.’ He also said real-life ET’s were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head.

In 1971, Dr Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 became the sixth man to walk on the Moon. His views on space , aliens and our planet are compelling and unique listen to him on this new, special edition of The Unexplained.